Utility knives have been constructed in a variety of alternate configurations in order to improve comfort and convenience in using these knives. In spite of these various configurations, utility knives typically contain a cutting blade which is either fixed or movable from a stored position, wherein the blade is fully concealed within the housing of the utility knife, to an exposed position, wherein a portion of the blade extends outwardly from the housing in order to allow the blade's cutting edge to be easily and conveniently employed.
In many applications, the utility knife is used to cut a particular surface without any need for precision in the location of the cut. However, there are numerous other applications in which utility knives are employed wherein the cut formed by the blade of the utility knife must be in a precise location in order to attain the desired result.
Typical applications wherein precise measurements are important are the use of utility knives for cutting wallboard or sheetrock for use in construction, or the cutting of panels, rods, molding, etc. for mounting to another surface. Clearly, in these applications, the particular object must be cut to a precise dimension, in order to be certain that the resulting piece fits in the desired location or position. In spite of the fact that utility knives are often used for cutting components which must be accurately measured for subsequent use or processing, utility knives have never been constructed in a manner which allows conventional measuring tapes or flexible rulers to be employed with the knife to attain a direct readable precise measurement.
Instead, measurements are most often estimated by the placing the calibrated edge of the flexible ruler at the desired location from which the measurement is to be made, while the angled tip or leader of the flexible ruler is placed against the side of the utility knife. Then, with the measured distance being noted, the user estimates the thickness of the housing, in order to compensate for the error that would otherwise be introduced. However, no direct, precise measurement can be made due to the construction of the utility knife and the flexible ruler.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a utility knife construction which is capable of cooperating with a conventional measuring tape or flexible ruler to allow the cutting blade to be positioned at the precisely desired exact location to be cut.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a utility knife having the characteristic features described above which completely eliminates any need for estimating distances in order to compensate for inaccurate measurements.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a utility knife having the characteristic features described above which allows the user to attain precisely measured components after cutting.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.